Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66F—HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD
  • B66F9/00—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes
  • B66F9/06—Devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes movable, with their loads, on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks
  • B66F9/075—Constructional features or details
  • B66F9/12—Platforms; Forks; Other load supporting or gripping members
  • B66F9/18—Load gripping or retaining means
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
  • B25B—TOOLS OR BENCH DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, FOR FASTENING, CONNECTING, DISENGAGING OR HOLDING
  • B25B1/00—Vices
  • B25B1/20—Vices for clamping work of special profile, e.g. pipes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66C—CRANES; LOAD-ENGAGING ELEMENTS OR DEVICES FOR CRANES, CAPSTANS, WINCHES, OR TACKLES
  • B66C1/00—Load-engaging elements or devices attached to lifting or lowering gear of cranes or adapted for connection therewith for transmitting lifting forces to articles or groups of articles
  • B66C1/10—Load-engaging elements or devices attached to lifting or lowering gear of cranes or adapted for connection therewith for transmitting lifting forces to articles or groups of articles by mechanical means
  • B66C1/62—Load-engaging elements or devices attached to lifting or lowering gear of cranes or adapted for connection therewith for transmitting lifting forces to articles or groups of articles by mechanical means comprising article-engaging members of a shape complementary to that of the articles to be handled
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
  • F02F—CYLINDERS, PISTONS OR CASINGS, FOR COMBUSTION ENGINES; ARRANGEMENTS OF SEALINGS IN COMBUSTION ENGINES
  • F02F7/00—Casings, e.g. crankcases
  • F02F7/0043—Arrangements of mechanical drive elements
  • F02F7/0046—Shape of casings adapted to facilitate fitting or dismantling of engine parts

Definitions

• This invention relates generally to a material handling device for lifting and locating a workpiece and, more particularly, to such a de ⁇ vice which grips and centers the workpiece without scuffing.
• the present invention is directed to over ⁇ coming one or more of the problems as set forth above.
• a lift fixture is provided with self-centering holding mechanisms including pads which are movable relative to the lift fix ⁇ ture tangentially with respect to the surface of a workpiece that may be of varying size. hen the workpiece is lifted, the action of the centering means automatically shifts the workpiece to the center of the lift fixture without undesirable scuffing of the surface in contact with the holding pads.
• the lift fixture includes a yoke and a movably mounted clamp slide which extends between the yoke arms so as to define a handling ring, the clamp slide being driven
• the lift fixture has three or more angularly spaced pads, a portion of which are movably mounted on the yoke and a portion of which are mounted on the clamp slide.
• the holding devices have resilient pads which are carried on carriages which, in turn, are mounted for linear movement on the yoke and clamp slide. The resilient pads make intimate contact with and minimize scuffing of the core as the holding mechanisms are moved against the core.
• the carriages engage and move along a linear slide rod and the re ⁇ silient pads are pivotally mounted to the carriage.
• the lift fixture is mounted on a support apparatus having horizontal, vertical, swinging, and rotational movement such that the lift fixture can be moved to any desired position.
• the lift fix- ture can transport the workpiece to any desired location or turn the workpiece over.
• Fig. 1 is a top view partially in section of an exemplary lift fixture constructed in accord- ance with the present invention,- -4-
• Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the lift fixture of Fig. 1;
• Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary elevation ⁇ al view of a holding mechanism shown spaced from the workpiece;
• Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary elevation ⁇ al view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the holding mechanism in contact with the workpiece;
• Fig. 5 is an exploded, perspective view partially in section of one of the holding mechanisms
• Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the holding mechanism taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5;
• Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the lines 7-7 of Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of the lift fixture utilizing three hold ⁇ ing mechanisms.
• a lift fixture generally designated 10
• the support apparatus 12 is adapted to position the lift fixture 10 in desired location and orientation.
• the support apparatus 12 includes a robot, a part of which is shown and designat ⁇ ed 13, capable of horizontal, vertical, and swinging motion, and a rotary actuator 14 for rotating the lift fixture 10 one-hundred-eighty degrees.
• the lift fixture 10 is seen to include a handling ring 16 comprising a horseshoe-shaped yoke 17
• the yoke 17 (as shown in Fig. 2) comprises an upper plate 25, a lower plate 26, and various crosspieces 28,29,30 and 31 (as shown in Fig. 1), which are secured between the upper and lower plates 25 and 26 and which maintain the plates in spaced relation and provide structural rigidity.
• Mounted to the yoke 17 at an angle of ninety degrees relative to each other and at an angle of forty-five degrees relative to the yoke longitudinal axis are a pair of holding mechanisms 33 and 34.
• the clamp slide 20 comprises an upper plate
• a pair of holding mechanisms 40 and 41 Mounted to the clamp slide 20 at ninety degrees relative to each other and at ' an angle of forty-five degrees relative to the yoke longitudinal axis are a pair of holding mechanisms 40 and 41. Each end 43 of the clamp slide 20 is mounted for linear movement via bushings 44 to a clamp slide shaft 46 carried in each of the yoke arm portions 22 and 23. Movement of the clamp slide 20 along the yoke longitudinal axis, as indicated by arrow 47, is effected by a fluid clamping motor, or jack 48, located in each of the yoke arm portions 22 and 23.
• Each of the jacks 48 has an air cylinder 49 secured to the yoke crosspiece 29 and a rod 50 having a bi- furcated end 52 pivotally connected to a clamp slide bracket 53, the bracket 53 extending through a slot 55 defined in the yoke crosspiece 30.
• Each of the holding mechanisms 33,34,40 and 41* is movably mounted to its respective yoke 17 or clamp slide 20 by way of a mounting assembly 57.
• the holding mechanisms 33,34,40 and 41 are mounted on a common plane on the inside of the handling ring 16.
• Each mounting assembly 57 includes a base plate 58 fixed, as by bolts (not shown) , to the yoke crosspiece 28 (Fig. 1) or to the clamp crosspiece 38 (Figs. 3 and 4), a pair of spaced apart, upright end plates 60 and 61, and a pair of spaced, parallel guide shafts 63 and 64 (Figs. 5 and 6) extending between the end plates 60 and 61 and held in place by retaining rings 66.
• the guide shafts 63 and 64 of each of the holding mechanisms is oriented at an angle of forty-five degrees relative to the yoke longitudinal axis.
• Each of the holding devices 33,34,40 and 41 comprises a pad subassembly 67 and a carriage sub- assembly 69.
• the pad subassembly 67 includes a flat plate 70 (Fig. 5) , a deformable soft rubber pad 72 on the topside of the plate 70 enclosed by a suit ⁇ able cover bonded to the plate 70, and a pair of pin brackets 75 and 76 depending from the underside of the plate 70.
• the carriage subassembly 69 includes a flat plate 78, four sleeves, each designated 79, fixed to the bottom of the plate 78, and a centrally located pivot block 81 extending above and below the plate 78.
• the sleeves 79 are arranged in co-linear pairs and slide linearly along the guide shafts 63 and 64 carried by the end plates 60,61 to mount the carriage subassembly 69 on the mounting assembly 57.
• Lin- ear ball bearings (not shown) in the sleeves 79, with suitable retainers and seals, reduce friction between the shafts 63,64 and the sleeves 79.
• the upper end of the pivot block 81 is connected between the pin brackets 75 and 76 by a pivot pin 82 so as to mount the pad subassembly 67 to the carriage sub- assembly 69 and mounting assembly 57.
• a rod 84 which is also a part of the mounting assembly, extends through the piv ⁇ t block 81 and is centrally fixed by retaining rings 85 between the end plates 60 and 61 of the mounting assembly 57 parallel to the guide shafts 63 and 64.
• the axis of the rod 84 is transverse to the axis of the pin 82.
• Preloaded springs 87 and 88 coiled about the rod 84, one on opposite sides of the pivot block 81, provide a spring force acting between the end plates 60 and
• the lift fixture 10 in operation, is positioned over the workpiece 93, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, and is lowered onto the workpiece 93 with the clamp slide 20 in open position as seen in phantom in Fig. 1. At this point, the lift fixture 10 is not in contact with the workpiece 93. The robot 13 then maneuvers tne lift fixture 10 to center the workpiece 93 as close as possible between the yoke arms 22 and 23.
• the robot 13 then slowly drives the yoke 17 toward the workpiece 93 along the mid-circumferential plane of tne workpiece until the so-called stationary holding mechanisms 33 and 34 contact the circumferential surface of the work- piece 93 with a measurable predetermined force.
• the holding mechanisms 33 and 34 operate in a manner similar to that described below with respect to the holding device 41.
• the clamp slide 20 is moved by the jack 48 from its open position along the yoke longitudinal axis to a closed position until the so-called moving holding mechanisms 40 and 41 make contact with the workpiece 93.
• the pad subassemblies 67 will not move along the circumferential surface of the workpiece 93. How ⁇ ever, as shown in Fig. 4, the pad subassembly 67 will pivot clockwise, as shown by arrows 95, to align itself tangentially witn the workpiece outer surface.
• the mounting assemblies 57 which are fixed to the clamp slide 20, also move leftward, but the holding mechanism will not move to any great degree with respect to the workpiece. instead, the
• the arrangement of three hold ⁇ ing mechanisms 100 is shown schematically in a lift fixture of alternative construction.
• the holding mechanisms 100 as indicated by arcuate arrows 102, are located one-hundred-twenty degrees, plus-minus five degrees relative to each other with one lying on the yoke longitudinal axis passing through an actuator 114 of robot 113.
• the holding mechanisms 100 have pads 104 movable tangentially relative to the workpiece 93. When the workpiece 93 is lifted, the holding mechanisms 100 provide pressure distributed equally to the work ⁇ piece 93 to center the workpiece.
• the lift fixture described herein may be applied in the manufacture of large tire carcasses for tractors and the like, but is not limited to that application. Typically, this type of tire carcass has an outside diameter of fifty to sixty- four inches or more and weighs five hundred pounds or more.' Thus, it can be seen that the lift fixture can be employed with a wide range of core sizes. in this application, the springs 87 and 88 have a pre- load of approximately fifty pounds.
• the holding mechanisms can move linearly about one inch in* either direction relative to their centered position with the pad subassembly plates 70 being spaced about five-eighths of an inch from the carriage subassembly plates 78 to permit a small degree of pivotability therebetween.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Geology (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manipulator (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

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Publications (1)

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Citations (8)

• 1980
  • 1980-03-24 JP JP50003780A patent/JPS57500327A/ja active Pending
  • 1980-03-24 WO PCT/US1980/000320 patent/WO1981002722A1/en unknown
• 1981
  • 1981-03-14 EP EP81101893A patent/EP0036988A1/en not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (8)

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